


New Friends in the Strangest Places

by Diana_Raven



Series: Hannukah Gifts [8]
Category: Justice Society of America (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 01:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17091623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diana_Raven/pseuds/Diana_Raven
Summary: In Iron Gates, Max waits outside T.O. Morrow's cell for Courtney to come back from interrogation, only to meet a new friend.





	New Friends in the Strangest Places

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: I mean I would love more Maxine Hunkel fics or just her in anything
> 
> For: LesbianStargirl on tumblr

Iron Heights is dark. That’s the first thing Maxine thinks when she walks in. It’s a high metal cage. Bars on every window smell like rust. Maxine can hear the insults and whistles from the inmates. She shifts in her sneakers. The entire place makes her uncomfortable, filled with people she helped put in there.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Courtney asks her. She squeezes her friend’s hand.

Maxine nods. She-They, the JSA, they need to talk to T.O. Morrow. The latest mission of theirs has a large robotic element, and so who better to talk to. Ivo is still on the run, and Terrific is even having trouble with this.

Courtney and Maxine walk down the hall, arm in arm. Only because Max can’t bear to let go, and Courtney doesn’t mind. Max is shuddering, each step takes effort. Finally, she halts, unable to continue.

“I can take it from here.” Courtney whispers, wiping some stray hairs from Maxine’s face.

Max’s hands shook. “I can-I can do it.”

“You don’t have to. Just take a moment. I would stay with you but we need to talk to him now.” Courtney looks around. “How about you sit outside the wing, over there.” Courtney nods to a bench outside of the metal, reinforced door. “I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

“Court-”

“It’s okay. We all have bad things that we don’t want to face. That’s alright. It was brave of you to come here in the first place.” Courtney squeezes Maxine’s hand once again. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Maxine nods. She goes to sit.

She hates feeling useless like this. For once she was able to _do_ something, by becoming a hero. Heroes weren’t supposed to be scared like this. She pulls her legs up to her chin to sit, tightening her arms around her knees. She hears as Courtney walks down the hall to T.O. Morrow’s cell, and Maxine is alone, once again.

“Hi, what’s your name?”

Maxine glances up. There’s a little girl standing right in front of her. She’s got dark skin and mousy dark hair. Her eyes though are bright. She looks to be maybe eleven, or twelve. There’s a Guy Gardner themed backpack slung over her shoulder. What’s she doing in a prison?

“I’m Maxine. What’s your name?”

The girl walks over to Maxine and sits next to her on the bench, swinging her legs. “I’m Traya.” She says. The girl’s eyes widen as she takes in Maxine’s clothes. “Are you a superhero, too?”

“Too?”

Traya shrugs. “My Dad is a superhero.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re here?”

“Yeah, he’s gotta talk with his Dad. He’s got an issue with his wiring, but he doesn’t want me going to see Gramps.” _His wiring?_ Maxine thinks. Traya pouts. “Something about… bad influence… and stuff...”

“Oh. Who’s your grandfather?”

“T.O. Morrow.” And that would explain that. She must be the new Red Tornado’s kid. Maxine vaguely remembers something about a standoff at an adoption hearing for her. Red Tornado almost got arrested and disassembled.

Maxine’s heart drops in her chest. Clearly something but be showing on her face because Traya’s falls and she says. “Oh no. Did my Grandpa hurt you?”

For once in her life, Maxine is at a loss for words.

Traya takes Maxine’s hand in hers. “I’m sorry.” She says softly. “My Grandpa hurt a lot of people. He’s not a nice man.”

“Then why do you want to see him?” Maxine asks.

Traya shrugs off her backpack and pulls out a notebook. “My STEM project is due in a week. I wanted to know if he would look over my math.”

“You’re STEM project? What grade are you in?”

“I’m a Junior at Elias’ School for Girls.” Traya explains. She flushes slightly. “I’m… better at math than making friends with people my age.”

“You too, huh?”

Traya’s eyes light up. “You like math too?”

“I major in Theater. But I like math.”

“You’re in college!” Traya gasps. “Where do you go?”

“Harvard.”

“Wow! Is it worth the tuition?” Traya asks. “I’m graduating next year and I have to decide if I want to go to university or take a couple years off. I was thinking of going to trade school to learn mechanics, but I really want to continue in robotics too. Of course, MIT is better when it comes to-” Traya’s voice skids to a halt. She flushes. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I? I always do that when I get excited. Everyone at school call me a know-it-all. Well, everyone except Cissie and Cassie and Greta...”

Maxine smiles. “It’s okay. I get like that too. I’d love to help you decide about your education. Choosing to go to university is a big step, especially for someone so young. Don’t worry though, you have lots of time to decide.”

Traya smiles up at Maxine. “Thanks.” Traya looks back at her notebook and glances up at Maxine, flushing slightly. “Would-Would you like to hang out sometime? Like not just with me, like-I have superhero friends and I think you’d fit in great!”

“Well, I’ve got some superhero friends, you know. I’m a member of the JSA.”

“Like Stargirl?” Traya gasps.

Maxine nods.

“Wow! Really? She’s the coolest of all of them! I got to meet her once, when everyone in the JSA got turned into babies and she got turned into an adult. Cassie and Cissie think she’s cool too-”

“Wait. Cassie? Like, Cassie Sandsmark? Wonder Girl?”

“Uh huh.”

This time it was Maxine’s turn to fangirl. “Really? She’s so cool! And Cissie-You mean the Olympic archer? Court mentioned that she used to be a hero and that she told off the Justice League. Is that really true?”

“Uh huh. But I wasn’t there for that.”

“Cool!”

Traya grins at Max and then her faces falls. She fidgets once more and says, “I’m really sorry about whatever Grampa did to you. You’re so nice…”

Max pats her shoulder gently. “He hurt me Traya, it’s true, but it wasn’t the end for me. Sometimes...” Maxine didn’t want to tell this girl about her depression, it didn’t really seem appropriate, but she hadn’t been unaffected by her kidnapping. “Sometimes it feels like it was, but I know that there are good people out there, and that it’s not the end. Even if it feels like that. Plus, I got some pretty cool powers because of it. I met your Dad that way, and now I’ve met you through it.”

The large metal door to the wing which houses T.O. Morrow swings open and Courtney and Red Tornado march through—Courtney is up in arms about something. The thought makes Maxine smile, if Courtney is pissed then things are going to be okay.

“I’m just saying treating him as hostile won’t hurt anyone. Except him.”

“Stargirl.” The robotic voice responds. “I am not electrocuting my creator, even slightly, just so he’ll tell you who created the android plaguing the Justice Society of America.”

Court scowls. “C’mon Max. We’re done here. Morrow won’t tell us sh-” She freezes when she sees Traya and then says, “-anything.”

Maxine sighs. “I didn’t think he would.” Maxine turns to Traya. “It was nice to meet you, Traya.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Traya chirps. She gets up and jogs over to her father. “Well, what did he say about my project?”

“He thinks your designs are good. But he suggests giving your project more RAM.”

“I _knew_ it!” Traya whispers. She glances back at Maxine and then says something to Red Tornado in a language Maxine doesn’t speak. Red Tornado replies shortly and glances at Max in what Maxine would say is a kind way, but because he is a robot with no facial expressions she can’t tell. Traya puts her hand in her father’s and turns back to call to Maxine: “Hey Max! You and your family are invited over for dinner whenever you want!”

“Okay, Traya!” Maxine waves back.

“Lovely seeing you Stargirl, as always.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bye Metalhead.” Courtney mumbles.

Red Tornado picks up Traya and gusts the two of them away. Maxine and Courtney choose to walk.

“I hope it wasn’t so bad.” Courtney says softly.

“It wasn’t. I even made a new friend.”

“Well, that’s good.” Courtney links her arm through Maxine’s. “Want to tell me about her? You know I love to listen.”


End file.
